What do penguins look like?

Information on penguins

Since a penguin is a bird, it shares the same body parts: a head with
two eyes, two ears and a bill (beak), two wings (called flippers),
two legs and a billion small feathers. Below are a few of these body parts
or characteristics explained.

Penguin shape

The shape of a penguin body is perfectly adapted to a life in the sea. As
Kevin Shafer appropriately writes in his book Penguin
Planet: "Fat in the middle and tapered at both ends".
With this streamlined shape a penguin experiences the least possible resistance
while swimming in the ocean.

Penguin coloration / Countershading

All penguins have black backs and white bellies. This type of coloration
is called countershading and is a form of camouflage. When seen
from above, the penguin would be hard to distinct from the dark ocean
bottom. When viewed from underneath, the white stomach would blend in
with the skylight.
In addition to these countershaded colors (common to all species), different
species have specific colors for some body parts.

Penguin ears

When looking at a penguin, you will not be able to see its ears. That's
because they have no external ears like humans do. Penguins hear through
two small holes that are located at about the same place as a human's
ears. The holes are covered with feathers.

The ability to hear is very important for penguins. Penguin calls are
distinctive. By listening to the call a penguin can find its partner throughout
a colony of several hundred other penguins that all look alike. Penguin
vocalizations are also important in penguin communication: courtship,
fights, ...

Penguin bill (or penguin beak)

Like all birds a penguin has a bill or beak. It is
mainly used to catch food, but is also used to preen penguin feathers
and as a weapon in penguin fights. Size and sharpness of the bill vary
with species. Species that mainly eat fish have longer, thinner bills
(like King and Emperor penguins), while species that mainly eat krill
have shorter, thicker bills (for example Rockhopper and Macaroni penguins).

Penguins do not have teeth. Inside the bill
there are spiky spines pointed towards the throat that help in swallowing
living food. Penguins do have tongues, however these are not often seen
since they are short.

Penguin legs and penguin feet

Penguins have very short legs, which are used under water for steering.
On land it's not easy for a penguin to walk. Waddling seems to
be the easiest way to walk with short legs (in fact this has been researched
by scientists). In addition, some species displace themselves by hopping
over the ground.
Although you don't see them, penguins do have knees and upper legs. They
are completely enclosed within the penguin body. The upper leg is oriented
horizontally. In contrast to other birds (whose feet are placed in the
middle of their body) penguin feet are set all the way back, causing an
upright stand.

All penguins have webbed feet, an adaptation to their aquatic lifestyle
in the sea. They also have sharp claws that are not retractable.
Penguin feet (together with the flippers) are used when tobogganing
over the ice. This is a method Adelies and Emperors often use to get somewhere
quickly and consists of gliding over the ice on the penguin belly.

Sometimes Emperor or King penguins that are standing still, rest only
on their heels. They point their feet in the air, minimizing contact with
the cold ice. This way these penguins release less body heat.

Penguin tail

A penguin tail is short and in the shape of a wedge. There are 14 to
18 stiff tail feathers. Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins have longer
tails than the other species, and these are sometimes used as a prop on
land or when climbing a steep hill.